A Summoner and His Guardian
by AzzieMusical
Summary: Shounen Ai, 1+2, 3+4. Based on the story of FFX, Heero is a young summoner and Duo is one of his guardians! Please be kind, my first fic posted >_
1. Default Chapter

A Summoner and his Guardian

Shounen Ai, 1x2, 3x4

WARNING: Relena and Hilde bashing

Gundam Wing and Final Fantasy 10 crossover. Basically the story of FFX with Gundam Wing Characters. (Although I've changed quite alot of the story, so that relationships happen faster and are more obvious!) Don't worry if you've never even heard of FFX, I hope you can still enjoy the story anyway. Please R&R, this is the first fanfiction I've had the guts to post up *sweatdrops*

Enjoy! 

PS: There will be shounen ai and Relena and Hilde bashing in future chapters! I promise!

PSS. This chapter has been re-uploaded, I screwed up the HTML on the last one _

Listen to my story.........

"And there he is folks, Duo Maxwell, Star Player for the Zanarkand Abes!"

A huge cheer spread through the audience, making the blood rush to my cheeks. All these years Blitzing and I still wasn't used to the applause. I stepped forwards, waving to the cheering crowd. They screamed louder, some of them leaping up in their seats, waving their arms wildly.

"BLITZ OFF!" 

At those words I lept into the glowing sphere of water before me, and dove quickly for the ball. The rival player grabbed it first, and spiralled away from me, clutching the ball to their abdomen. I grinned and dove under them, twisting round as I grabbed the ball from him. He growled, and tried to grab me as I swam away.

"Maxwell!" came someone's gargled reply, and I saw the familiar strip of my team dart out from under the other's defence. I nodded, and threw the ball under the arm of my rival defence and sighed with relief as my team mate caught it.

I did a half turn and swam back upwards, right past the defence, right up to near the surface. As I went, the ball was thrown back to me and I tucked it under my arm, preparing.

With a gasp, I broke free of the watery shield and kicked the ball upwards. I grinned, and did a backward flip in mid air, keeping my aim focused on the spinning blue Blitzball, waiting for it to make contact with my feet.

Suddenly, this light zoomed past me, crashing into the crowd behind. Screams filled the air, and I could feel a bitter taste in my mouth. Fear.

Somehow, my body managed to twist round in mid air and I clutched hold of the stone edge, my fingers digging into the stone for a better grip.

Pain racing through my digits, I was forced to let go. With a yell, I felt my body plummet all the way down to the ground, amidst the crowds of screaming people.

Ok....I wasn't killed, or even knocked out. I was badly winded though, and it took me several minutes before I caught my breath and was able to stand.

No.....it couldn't be. I stood on my tip toes, trying to see over the crowd. Yes....that familiar long platinum blond hair, the familiar pose he stood in, arms folded, leaning back against a wall. It was Zechs Marquees.

"Zechs!" I called, pushing my way through the now thinning crowd, "Hey, Zechs!"

He slowly turned to look at me, his piercing blue eyes just starring at me. 

"What are you doing here?" I added breathlessly, the tight feeling in my chest from the fall returning. He'd disappeared round about 3 months ago, without warning. Heh, not that I minded. He could be so annoying at times. I wasn't even sure *who* he was exactly. Just.....after......dad disappeared, and mother........died, he'd always hung round, looking out for me. Like an older brother, when in fact our age was apart by what, two years? But he acted way mature than 19, let me tell you that. 19 pushing on 35 more like it.

"I came to see you" he replied in his quiet monotone, turning his heel and leaving. I sighed, and ran after him, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

"What?"

He ignored me and carried on. I paused after chasing him to catch my breath, when suddenly, this small kid appeared, looking suspiciously like one of the kids who'd been pestering me for my autograph earlier. She had long honey coloured hair and was wearing a white dress and hat. She also held a puppy in her arms.

At the same time........everything stopped. People froze in their running, and all I could do was gape at the scene around me. What the hell was going on?

"It begins" she said, in a gentle, but eerie voice. I turned back to her, and looked at her more closely. She was too pale to be real......

"Don't cry"

And as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished. Chaos began running past me once more. I blinked, and looked round for her familiar white hue. Nothing.....where the hell did she go?! What was going on?!

I immediately scanned the crowds for Zechs. He was striding ahead, in the direction of the danger, whatever it was. I sighed and chased after him. He was gonna get killed one of these days, I swear it.

I caught up with him, resting my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath again. My whole torso was still aching from the fall. Suddenly, this inhuman roar caused me to look upwards, my mouth dropping open as I did. 

A huge......whale demon kind of thing was floating above Zanarkand, shooting these little shell things down at the road Zechs and I were stood on. 

"We called it Sin" Zechs commented suddenly, his aqua eyes staring at the beast.

"Sin?" I repeated slowly, having no idea where Zechs got this name from. 

Before I could think it over, hundreds of "shells" were shot around us, blocking our escape. Then, like eggs, the shells opened, revealing several small, winged monsters than crawled mercilessly towards us.

"Fiends? But they never come around here!" I exclaimed, looking over at Zechs. He grunted, and suddenly drew a scarlet sword from under his coat, offering it to me.

"A gift from your father"

Dumbfounded, I took the weapon and held it shakily in my grasp. My father's........ it had been so long........

I found it's comfortable possisition against my thigh and I looked ahead at the fiends. I'd fought them once or twice before, this should be a piece of cake.

"Don't bother going for all of them", Zechs reminding me, drawing his katana, "Just cut through the ones that are blocking our route"

I nodded, and he rushed forwards, taking out the left fiend in one hit. We managed to escape through the gap and take out the next two in only two hits.

Finally free, we ran across the uneven road, nearly tripping over the cracks. Well I did, Mr Perfect Marquees managed to avoid them with such grace. Was he human or what?

"Watch out" he suddenly yelled, and I drew up short, both of us only inches away from a huge towering fiend, that looked down at us as if we were mere bugs. 

"I'm sorry" Zechs added in a half whisper, causing me to drop my battle stance and turn to look at him.

"Huh?"

Before I could reply, he grabbed me by the neck, and slowly brought me up into the air, my struggling doing nothing. He slowly walked over to the side of the road, which overlooked the poorer part of Zanarkand.

"This is it" he murmured softly, his angular face glowing from a nearby electrical fire, "This, is your story"

With that he swung me over the abyss and let go. The last thing I remembered was falling, then a immense bright light........

TBC.....

Oh boy, that really sucked didn't it? Please R&R if you have the time ^_^

Til next time........

Merry Christmas!

~*~Tawny Eyed Angel~*~


	2. Chapter 2

AN/ Thank you to everyone who's reviewed! You've really made my day now! Thank you!

Pink Cherry Blossom: Thank you ^_^ Hopefully I've sorted out the word problem now *sweatdrops* FFX1 does looks awesome, have you heard about FFX.2 yet? Sounds amazing!

kyouryoku85: Thanks ^_^. I loved FFX too, and I could just picture Duo as Tidus ^_^ And Heero as Yuna, lol.

Fangbaby2002: Thank you also ^_^. I'll try to update every other day if I can :D

xxkurenaixx: I know _. I apologise for that, and I hope it's more readable now ^_^

sapphire: I hate stories all bunched up also _. Like I said, I think I've FINALLY figured out the HTML, lol. 

Thank you all for reviewing!!

__

Zechs...... where are you?

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was face down on a rock of some kind. Wincing from the pain, I pushed myself up, suddenly noticing the dark sea surrounding me. Where the hell was I? This wasn't Zanarkand....

"Zechs!" I yelled, standing up, and looking round at my surroundings.

There were several stone platforms, half submerged in the water, which looked like ruins of some kind. There was no sing of life anywhere, except for a lone bird, circling the grey skies ahead.

"Heeeey!" I cried, wanting to hear just a small reply, just to let me know that I wasn't alone. No reply came except my echo. I was alone.

I blinked back tears, and peered down into the water. There didn't seem to be any fiends around, all I could see was a pair of violet eyes staring back at me from my reflection. 

I stood up, and looked over the stretch of water. I could make it, I decided. If I made it to the large platform directly ahead, I might be able to find some civilisation. I hope I could.

I dove smoothly into the water, and started swimming. All the while, all I could think of was what had happened. Why was I here? How did I get here? Where was I exactly? What happened to Zechs? Was he ok? How about Zanarkand? Was it ok after Sin's attack? Did it get destroyed?

Shaking my head, I dripped my way onto dry land, feeling the cold air wrap round me. My clothes were waterproof, being a Blitzball uniform and all, but my hair was soaking. I wrung out my braid as best as I could, and followed the decaying walkway. Small plants were nestled in some of the cracks, and dust flew up from my running feet. I was trying to get warm, and kept running until I reached a bridge, that led over a deep stretch of water. I couldn't even see the bottom, the waters surface reflected the grey rain clouds.

I walked across, trying to make out the platform ahead. I might of been wrong, but it looked like a dead end.....

Suddenly, I felt myself buckle as the bridge suddenly collapsed under me. I miraculously managed to miss the flying chunks of rock, and was plunged into the icy cold waters again.

Choking, I swam back up to the surface, breathing in the sweat, refreshing air. Yes, normally I could hold my breath for long times but, that was unexpected. And just my luck.

I looked round. I was pretty far from any shore, but I decided trying to get back up on those platforms might be the best way to get out of this place. I swam a little to the left, then stopped suddenly. My skin prickled, and I shivered. Something was down there.

I peered down into the murky depths, trying to see what it was. A fiend? A dolphin? A person? I peered closer as a shadow rose, and grew larger as it came closer.....

"Ahhhh!"

With a loud screech, a fiend lept out of the water, and attacked me. I reeled back, crashing into another one. Fear racing through my body, I tried to escape under water, but was blocked off by another fiend. Great.

I drew my sword. I'd have to thank Zechs....if I ever saw him again that was.

One of the fiends darted forwards, digging it's teeth into my arm. I responded instantly, slicing it in half. I watched as it vanished into the usual cloud of coloured lights, pyreflies. That meant the fiend's soul was going to the Farplane....

I took out the other one just as quickly, and was advancing on the third when a shadow flickered down under my feet. I looked down. Another fiend?

A roar echoed through the waters, and this huge monster thing swam by me, the sheer current caused by it, throwing me backwards. It caught the fiend in it's mouth, killing it instantly. Blood stained the water, and I grimaced. That was just..... sick.

Suddenly, the large fiend turned to me, it's small beady eyes watching me. I knew I was the one it was after now.

I twisted and dove back through the water, narrowly escaping it as it lunged at me. I swam faster, scanning the rocks for a cave of some sort, or some clue that I was near the shore. 

I propelled upwards, crashing through the surface, and instantly seeing a small cave, half submerged in the water. It was my only chance.

As I sped up, and swam towards it, the giant fiend came up behind me. Fear ran through my body and I swam even faster, feeling my chest tighten. My limbs were starting to burn now, as I got closer, and closer to the cave. I could feel the fiends warm, moist mouth start to suck me in. I closed my eyes and gave and extra energy spurt. He was gaining on me. One more push.....

With triumph, I crashed through the cave, and fell flat against the cold hard floor. I backed away and watched nervously as the fiend tried to get inside. He thrashed, sending small pieces of rock down on me. Please..... don't let him get in......

As if some almighty being had heard my silent prayer, the fish gave up, and swam off. 

I sighed, exhausted. My muscles weren't aching anymore, I was a Blitzer after all. I was kinda used to it by now. But still, I had taken quite a few falls recently. I was going to be black and blue come tomorrow. If I live that long.

I stood up. wringing out my braid again, the only part of me that seemed to get wet and stay wet. Damn thing.

Course I was kidding. I loved my braid.

I looked back, and realised that the cave was actually a tunnel, leading back into this huge, once beautifully decorated chamber. I looked round in awe, taking in the obvious wealth of the place. It must had been a royal hall, or something.

I shivered suddenly, wrapping my arms around myself.

"So...so......cold" I managed to whimper. I glanced down at the floor. There were some seemingly dry wood there. If only I could ignite it....

I silently thanked Zechs for teaching me how to use flint to get a fire going, and I was soon slightly warmer than I was before. Slightly warmer.

I sat as close as I could to the roaring fire, trying to absorb the heat into my own body. I'd never been so cold in my life...... or so alone in my life. Alone emotionally maybe, but there was always someone around, someone I could call out to. Here, I bet the big fish ate them all.

I sighed and flopped back against the stone floor. I was knackered and I must of fallen into a light, uneasy sleep.

__

"I have some bad news. Your team lost because of you"

"So?" I replied, looking scornuflly at Zechs. He shrugged and walked out, passing me.

"That's strange, I thought you'd be crying"

I laughed.

"Me? Cry?"

Suddenly, that little girl in white appeared. 

"You cried" she said quietly, and ran off after Auron. 

"Ahh" I cried, sitting up suddenly. The fire was still going, but it was freezing. I sighed softly, and wrapped my arms round my legs, drawing them closer to my chest. What a weird dream...

Gradually, I felt the heat leave my arms and legs, and I looked at the fire puzzled. It was going out!

With a cry I lept up, and began blowing on it desperately, trying to get it to relight.

"Please, don't go out!!!!! Agh! Just wait, I'll go get more wood!" I added, getting up and turning. There was a huge bolt of lightening, and suddenly there was a giant lizard on one of the many banisters. I gulped. How long had it been watching me?

It leapt down and advanced on me, it's beady black eyes looking into mine. I shook my head, and drew my sword.

"Dryd fuh'd fung!" _(That won't work!) _someone cried, and this dark haired woman ran up beside me. I blinked over at her. What the hell did she just say?

"Lucrezia, pa lynavim. Ra sekrd y fiend" _(Lucrezia, be careful. He might be a fiend)_

I turned my head slightly to see several men, dressed in a similar way to how the girl was, diving gear. They were speaking that language too. Great, I found some humans, who didn't know English!

"Kad pylg" _(Get back) _she called over to me. I paused, and scratching my neck sheepishly.

"I don't understand you......."

The girl sighed, and grabbed my wrist, dragging me away from the beast. She reached into one of her many pouches and drew out a small round object. A grenade. She pulled out the pin and threw it over at the fiend.

In an explosion, it was gone, nothing left but a cloud of Pyreflies.

She looked over at me. She had short black hair, that reached into a small bang over her eyes. She looked older than me, about Zech's age?

She walked closer to me, so that our torso's were touching. I blushed and tried to move away. She was awfully forward..

"Cunno" _(Sorry) _she said suddenly, and punched me in the stomach. The pain echoed up through my body and I sank to the floor, darkness invading my vision. What the hell was happening now.

I wanna get to the shounen ai! Don't worry, next chapter should have it. Not much, but there will be lots more to come!

Please R&R if you have the time. If not, no worries.....

Thanks for reading

Merry Christmas!

~*~Tawny Eyed Angel~*~


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all so much for the reviews! ^_^

****

Emily Hato: Thank you ^_^. And I'm totally with ya on hearing the music. All through writing the chapter in Zanarkand, all I could hear was "Otherworld", LOL 

And I put Auron? *laughs* I kept writing Auron instead of Zechs, heh heh heh.

****

xxkureanixx: Thanks ^_^. FF8 rocks, can't you just imagine Heero as Squall? (Another idea forming? LOL)

****

Pink Cherry Blossom: Thank you ^_^ Heero in Yuna's outfit, LOL! How cute would that be? As for the Al Bhed, there's a translator at this link. http://www.pixelscapes.com/twoflower/albhed.html

I tried to teach myself Al Bhed in RE once- I was very bored, lol. And FFX.2- Yuna looks awesome! And she has.......guns. I don't quite get that, lol.

****

lora_helen: Thank you! ^_^ Hope you enjoy!

Thank you all for reading, here comes chapter three! Enjoy!

Ow. Owwwww, my stomach was hurting _so _much. The familiar rocking motion of the sea, and soft humming of a motor told me that those people had taken me onboard a boat of some kind. Maybe they could give me a ride back to Zanarkand......

I heard footsteps approaching and kept my eyes closed, trying to keep my breathing normal. I didn't want them to know I'd woken up, they might hit me again.

"E'mm dyga ujan huf" _(I'll take over now)._

I recognised the voice as the one of the girl who'd hit me. Man, I got knocked out by a girl? I hoped Zechs never finds out.....

"Hu. Ra'c duu tyhkanuic! Fryd ev ra fygac?" _(No. He's too dangerous! What if he wakes?) _a man replied. I had no idea what they were saying, but he sounded kinda angry.

"E ryhtmat res pavuna, teth'd E? Fryd sygac drec cu tevvanahd?" _(I handled him before, didn't I? What makes this so different?) _the girl replied, her voice getting angry too. At a wild guess, I think they were arguing about me.

A deathly silence followed, before the man grunted.

"Veha. Lymm sa ev ra fygac!" _(Fine. Call me if he wakes!) _he replied, and just from the tone of his voice, I knew he was defeated. 

"Ug." _(Ok)_

The next thing I knew, was a foot being shoved firmly into my side. I groaned, and clutched my torso. Why was everyone set on beating me up?

"I knew you were awake. C'mon, open your eyes!"

She...... that girl.....she spoke English?! My eyes snapped open to see her crouched down next to me, her face curved into a somewhat sheepish look.

"Sorry. I guess I kinda kicked you too hard"

"You can.....speak English?" 

She laughed and stood up, offering me her hand. I took it, and she easily pulled me to my feet.

"Yes. I'm Lucrezia, but most people call me Noin."

"I'm Duo....." I replied, trailing off as I looked over the dark grey ocean. The boat we were on was tiny in comparison with the sea around us. There was no land _anywhere_.

"Hey..... Noin. Are we anywhere near Zanarkand?"

She turned to looked at me, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Zanarkand? We're miles away, why do you ask?"

I felt dread settle in the pit of my stomach. For some reason, that didn't sound too good.

"Cos' Zanarkand's where I come from" I told her, watching her confusion deepen. She blinked, and shook her head.

"Not possible. Zanarkand was destroyed over 1000 years ago-"

"What? But.....I was just there! When it got attacked by Sin!"

Noin sighed, and cocked her head on one side.

"You didn't get too close to Sin....did you?"

I nodded silently. I had been very close to Sin, nearly within fighting distance. 

She smiled, as if relieved and ran her hand through her hair.

"That's ok. People's heads go funny if they get too close to Sin, they become all mixed up and confused"

What?! I had just been in Zanarkand, earlier on today infact! But..... she seemed so serious. Then again, how could all of my life just been a lie? It didn't make sense. Maybe I DID get too close to Sin...... or something. No....... no, I remember Zanarkand too clearly. I remember Zechs......and Blitzball. I couldn't of dreamt all that.

"Oh......"

For now, I decided to drop it. Noin looked pretty upset about the whole business. Maybe I did get too close to Sin.... Maybe I could figure out what was going on after I had got some rest, or found other people to talk to. Maybe I'd find Zechs.

"Tell ya what" she suddenly said, meeting my gaze, "I'll take you to Luca. Loads of people will be there, you'll probably recognise someone"

Luca?! I'd never heard of Luca. I sighed, and nodded, leaning on the ship's railing. 

Everything was so different. These Al Bhed, I'd never heard of them before........ were they a race, a religion, a gang or what?

Luca. I'd never heard of such a place before........in fact I'd never really heard of any other place but Zanarkand. I'd taken it all for granted.....but now I found myself thinking. About the world outside Zanarkand.....

"Hey...... don't feel bad. Loads of people have been poisoned by Sin.... and they get out of it all right. Just give it time- then you'll remember" Noin added softly, her hand on my shoulder. I nodded again, lowering my gaze to the churning waters. Was it me, or was it getting rougher?

"Also.....don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand. It's a holy place, you might make some people upset"

Holy Place? Zanarkand........... holy? Didn't make sense...........

"Ok......."

Suddenly, the boat tilted, making Noin and me slide across the deck. I instinctively reached out and grabbed the railing, and grabbed Noin by the wrist at the same time. 

"Sin!" someone yelled, and the ship tilted again, this time the other way. Noin crashed into me and I was sent flying down the deck, over the railing and into the water. I could see Noin rush to the edge and yell something to me, but my head crashed into the side of the ship, and blackness filled my vision.....

My chest felt tight as I came to, and my mouth was full of salt water. Yuck.

The water suddenly gushed down my throat as I started moving, and I struggled to get my face out of the water, before I suffocated. 

My eyes stinging, I whipped my head backwards, inhaling the precious oxygen. Air.... good, sweet air.

Choking, I looked at where I was. This time I was in beautiful aqua waters, and I could actually see the sandy sea bottom. I sighed in relief, and started scanning the landscape. No sign of the ship anywhere.

I coughed again, and rubbed my sore eyes. How many times had I nearly drowned today? Scratch that, how many times had I nearly been killed?

Suddenly, something collided with the back of my head, sending me back down into the water. I surfaced almost instantly, and was met with a Blitzball, floating inches away from me. 

"Blitzball!" I exclaimed out loud, turning to see that I was only a few metres from shore, where a bunch of guys were, dressed in a Blitzball uniform of some sort. 

One of them, a tiny blond haired guy shielded his eyes and waved at me. I squinted, trying to see him better.

"Hey! Are you ok?" he called. I grinned, and waved back. Finally, someone closer to home!

"Heeeey!" I called back. I let the ball float on the surface and dove underneath it, rising out of the water so it balanced on my head. I propelled myself upwards, and headed the ball, finally back-flipping round and kicking it, sending it flying in between the men. The blond whistled, and gestured for me to come ashore.

My aching body forgotten, I swam over in a few seconds and dripped onto the land, my damp braid heavy on my back.

The blond approached me, and held out his hand. I grasped it and he smiled at me.

"I'm Quatre Winner, captain of the Besaid Arouchs. That.... what you did out there......that was amazing. What team do you play for?"

"I'm Duo, Star Player of the Zanarkand........" I began, then I remembered Noin's warning. Quatre seemed like a really friendly guy, and I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.

"What team did you say?" Quatre asked suspiciously, looking at me strangely. I grinned, and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"Uh...forget that. I got.......too close to Sin you see....and the toxin....."

There were murmurs of understanding all around and Quatre placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take you to the temple, so we can pray to Yevon for your recovery"

Yevon? I was really confused now. I paused, and then looked out at the open sea. No sign of Noin's ship anywhere. I hope they were ok. 

I turned back to Quatre. There was something that I'd been itching to ask him.

"Quatre....... Zanarkand was destroyed......1000 years ago, right?"

He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. See, you remembered something", he began, looking out over the ocean, "This world used to be filled with many machina cities- so full of machines that everyone relied on them to do all the work. So, one day, Sin turned up and destroyed them all- to teach us a lesson. Now, we must repent our Sin's, by living in the way that Yevon wants us to"

"We..... worship Yevon, right?"

He nodded, and frowned sympathetically.

"Yes, you forgot that? I feel so sorry for you.....forgetting Yevon must be awful....."

He shook his head, and his smile returned. Only knowing him for ten minutes, I could already tell he was the type who tried to keep happy all the time. He seemed really sweet.

"Ok then. Let's go to the village, and you can pray for your recovery"

We'd been walking through the forest for around five minutes, when Quatre suddenly spoke up.

"You know...the Blitzball Tournament starts soon, in Luca. If you want, you can come with us. Maybe you'll find your team there......."

"And.......?"

He scuffed his foot against the ground nervously, and lowered his gaze.

"Would you...... join the team? Just for the Tournament? We could really use your help....and I know it sounds selfish but......"

"No it doesn't. Course I will, I'd be happy to"

"Oh thank you!" he exclaimed, beaming, "I can't thank you enough. Last year....I let the Besaid Arouchs down. We lost our first match.... all because of me"

"Why?"

"My mind was something else........"

"Nice excuse"

"Hey!" he exclaimed angrily, "It was, ok?!"

As suddenly as he had flared up, he calmed and smiled apologetically.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. We're near the village now. You remember the prayer?"

I shook my head silently. He tutted, and raised his arms.

"Ok. Watch this"

He swooped his arms round, and brought his hands together, bowing his head. I froze. The sign for victory in Blitzball.

I followed suit and he nodded, looking surprised.

"Wow. You remembered that pretty well. You go rest up, and then we'll go see the Temple Priest, ok?"

I nodded dully, and followed him as he led me to a small hut. I sighed, and flopped myself down on the bed. I was so tired..... my bones were aching.......everything was so different. Zanarkand, was destroyed? Why would both Noin and Quatre lie to me?

I turned over on my side, and felt tears fill my eyes. I felt so alone.......

TBC.....

Darn. Couldn't fit the shounen ai in *sobs* 

But I *promise*, next chapter will have it! I'm sure this time!

Hmm....I didn't really like this chapter. Too boring I think.......

Please, let me know what you thought!

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas!

~*~Tawny Eyed Angel~*~


	4. Chapter 4

****

lora-helen: Thank you so much!! I'm glad you like it, and seeing as the Christmas Holidays are coming up, I should be able to post alot more often! 

****

antigone: Thank you! I think I kinda rushed the shounen ai in this chapter, LOL. 

****

Rei: Thank you!!!! Heero's in this chapter, as well as a few other GW characters. See if you can guess who Wufei is ^_~

Thank you all so much!!

Sorry for the long wait, but I've had coursework deadlines and got in a fight on Friday.... heh heh.

Here's the next portion of this tale, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to everyone who's read this ^_^. Sorry for the wait

I lay there for several hours, not quite asleep, not quite awake. I was just drifting between consciousness, trying to figure out what was going on. At one point I remember Quatre looking down at me, a frown etched into his face. He sighed, and rested his hand on my arm lightly.

"Duo...." he began softly, and sighed again, "You're so helpless. You're all alone...... I wish I could help you.."

"Quatre........"

He jumped slightly, and a faint pink tinge appeared over the bridge of his nose and his cheeks.

"It's ok. You've accepted me... that's enough for me. Thanks......."

He smiled, and nodded slightly.

"No problem Duo. You just..... looked so sad...."

I grinned back and sat up, meeting his gaze full on. 

"Me? Sad? Hah, Duo Maxwell is never sad!" I claimed, standing up. Quatre joined me, relief flooding his features. His face was so easy to read, you could instantly tell what he was feeling.

"Ok then. You better go to the Temple now- to pray for your recovery"

I nodded, and followed him out of the hut. 

When I had entered the tiny village before, I was tired and hadn't really taken the sights in. Now, as I looked round the small, but homely place, I felt as if I was truly welcomed here.

At the end of the village, there was a huge temple that kind of overlooked the villagers, like some powerful God-like creature. As we approached it, I could hear soft singing, and the powerful scent of incense hit me.

It wasn't fully dark inside of the building, there were a few burning torches on the walls that cast eerie shadows over the chamber. A couple of villagers were praying to a statue of some guy, wearing long robes of some sort. I blinked, and followed Quatre over to this old guy- who was also wearing robes. 

He preformed the Prayer to me, and I followed suit.

"You must be the young man who was washed ashore here" he began, his voice low, and somewhat creepy, "I shall pray to Yevon for your well being"

"Thanks" I replied, not knowing exactly what to say. He scared me for some reason, he was just so creepy.

The creepy guy turned to Quatre abruptly, a worried expression on his face.

"He still hasn't come out"

"But.....it's been nearly a day!"

"Maybe he isn't-"

"Of course he is!" Quatre interrupted, his eyes flashing, "He's going to be a brilliant Summoner!"

"Uh.... what's going on?" I added sheepishly. There was some old guy....stuck inside the temple?

"Creepy" turned to me again.

"A Summoner becomes a Summoner after they have prayed to the Fayth. Only then, will they become a fully fledged Summoner. Currently, our Summoner-to-be hasn't yet come back out of the Chamber of The Fayth....."

"It's not dangerous in there......is it?"

"It can be"

Why were they so calm?! Someone was in there..... they could be hurt, or dying.

I ran past the two of them, and started climbing the stairs.

"Stop! That is a Forbidden Place!" the guy roared after me. I shook my head, and continued.

"As if I care!"

I pushed the doors open and began running. I knew that I could outrun the old guy for certain, but if Quatre came after me...

I shook my head, and ran on, feeling the damp air around me. It was so cold down here, goosebumps started appearing on my bare arms. I gritted my teeth, and ran on. I couldn't go back now.

"Duo"

I glanced over my should to see Quatre, running up to me. I hesitated, before deciding to stop, and let him catch up. He did, panting heavily. 

"D-Duo......y-you shouldn't be d-down here"

"I know.....but the Summoner....."

He smiled, and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Your.....h-hearts in the right....p-place. C'mon....it's too late to turn back now"

He led me down the path, and I followed sullenly. We reached a round, stone object, and he pulled me onto it. A....weird, glyph thing glowed briefly, before the stone suddenly dropped, like a lift. 

As the air rushed past us, I decided to ask Quatre a few questions.

"If this place is Forbidden....then why are you down here?"

He grinned.

"Only Summoners and their Guardians are allowed down here" he explained, "I'm a Guardian myself. My Summoner's down there......"

"Why aren't you with him?"

"He had two other Guardians as well. One-" I noticed he blushed at this point, "Is a close friend of mine- we grew up together. And the other.....well, no-one knows where he came from really"

I nodded, and suddenly the lift stopped. There was a door ahead of us. Quatre strode towards it confidently, and pushed it open.

The singing I had heard earlier was louder here, but was still in the background. Over by a set of steps that lead to another door was a tall person, with a strange uni banged hair cut. One emerald green eye was visible under his light brown hair, and he nodded at Quatre. The other guy....was this blue thing. Like a furry wolf thing. He grunted, but stayed where he was. The uni banged man however, walked over to us.

"Didn't think we could handle it Quatre?" he asked quietly, in a dead beat, monotone voice. Quatre grinned. 

"When have I ever doubted you, Trowa? I was just checking"

Trowa's eye glanced over at me.

"Who's this?"

"Duo. He got washed up on the beach- got too close to Sin......."

Trowa nodded, and did a quick Prayer.

"I hope you recover soon, Duo"

"Thanks....." I replied, not really sure what to say. I looked over at Quatre, who was looking at the far wall. It was then I realised that Quatre had a little crush on this Trowa. I grinned to myself. They would make a sweet couple.

Suddenly, the door on the far wall banged open, and a cloud of mist billowed out. 

A boy no older than me staggered out, his head bowed and his hand resting against the wall, trying to steady himself. I squinted trying to see him in more detail. The mist still concealed most of him as he slowly limped down the stairs.

All of a sudden, the mist cleared and I could see him clearly for the first time. My mouth dropped open, and I felt this weird sensation in my stomach. 

Two beautiful cobalt eyes looked over at all of us, hidden beneath dark brown bangs. His angelic face was covered in a light film of sweat and he raised one delicate hand to wipe it away. He was dressed in dark green robes, with long sleeves that nearly brushed the ground.

Swaying slightly, he returned his gaze to mine, and a small smile flickered over his beautiful features.

"I have done it" he began softly, his voice sending shivers down my spine, "I have.....become a Summoner"

As the other clapped politely, he slowly ascended down the rest of the stairs, and was immediately embraced by Quatre.

"I knew you could do it Heero!" he exclaimed brightly, ruffling Heero's hair. Heero blushed slightly, and his gaze whipped up to meet mine again.

Quatre noticed, and he dragged Heero over to me.

"Heero, this is Duo. He's feeling a little woozy from Sin's toxin, so he might say a few stupid things...."

If looks could kill, Quatre would be six feet under. What a way to introduce me!

Heero held out his hand, and I shook it nervously. Why was I nervous? Because I was in front of the beautiful man I'd ever met? Because that weird feeling was still inside of me?

"I'm sorry to hear that" he began, "I hope you recover soon"

"Thank you......."

"I'll be praying for you...." he added faintly, and suddenly the colour drained from his face, and he collapsed. I caught him in my arms, and held him up against me. He was still breathing, his breath tickling my cheek slightly. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and I tried to hide my face in his shoulder.

"Don't worry" Quatre whispered, walking over to me "He just fainted, that's all"

True to Quatre's word, Heero's eyes flickered open after a few minutes, and he blushed slightly.

"I'm so sorry....." he murmured as I helped him stand, "I'm really, very-"

"Don't be" I interrupted, grinning, "It wasn't your fault"

We exchanged a brief smile.

"Thank you...."

O_O! It took me three days to come up with that? *bangs head against desk*

Ok, I kinda sped up the shounen ai a little to much, me thinks. Curses!

Please tell me if you liked this chapter or not. And thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed, you inspire me to keep writing!

Merry Christmas!

~*~Tawny Eyed Angel~*~


	5. Chapter 5

****

Rei: LOL, he's the blue furry thing. Couldn't resist. I love Wuffers really ^_^ Thank you for the review ^_^

****

Elle-FaRa2x1: Thanks for the review! ^_^. Yeah, it could spoil the FFX story in places, although I'll probably miss some out and concentrate more on relationships. I'll have to see where the flow takes me, lol. And I'll try to update more often, darn writers block (kinda sad seeing as it isn't my own storyline! heh heh)

****

Cheery Wolf: Let me make this short: Thank you!!! I'll try to update more often!

****

Tainted Halo: Thank you! More is on zee way!

****

Lora Helen: Aww thank you ^_^. And I've read a few of your fics....and they are awesome! You are a fabulous writer my friend!

****

Transylvanian Concubine: Thanks buddy ^_^. And you mock my shounen ai obsession, mwa hahah hah. I think I got you into it, heh heh. Mission accomplished!

****

Pandora-Chan: Thank you so much! ^_^ I'll try to stick to the storyline as much as possible, and I am planning on changing the ending slightly. *sweatdrops* Just a bit....The lake bit is totally gonna be in there! Yeah, Quatre as Wakka...not that good, but he just wasn't a Lulu sweatdrops* Originally, he was going to be Rikku, but then the pairings wouldn't work. I hate the battles too, lol! And more cute guys, though I thought Auron was cute.....in a way.

Sorry for the long wait everyone! I haven't had any inspiration for a while, lol. Plus I'm lazy. Gomen nasai!

I have a sore throat :(. Oh well ,at least it's nearly Christmas!

Thank you all for the reviews! I couldn't do this without you guys! Thank you!!!

Less than ten minutes after I had met the most beautiful man in the world.....or wherever this place was, I was stood outside, sweating in the immense heat.

"Duo! Come on, you have to see this!" 

Suddenly I found myself being dragged over to where a small crowd of villagers had gathered, by a very excited Quatre. He literally pushed his way through the crowd, to where Heero was stood alone in the centre of a circular stone platform. He looked really nervous, and he now had a long wooden staff, which he held loosely down my his knees.

"Ready?" Trowa asked gently, stood on the other side of Quatre. Heero looked up, stunned slightly and nodded.

"Ok...." he replied, barely above a whisper. Silence fell for a split second before he raised his staff, and stepped elegantly to one side. I looked on confused as he started to do this dance, waving his staff up high in the air, before swooping it low down by his feet. All these time, his eyes were closed.

Then, all of a sudden, this pink circular pattern appeared beneath him, and started shooting up rays of pure white light up to the heavens.

"That's a glyph" Quatre whispered ever so softly in my ear. I just nodded, and watched as Heero stopped dancing, and opened his eyes. I followed his gaze up to the sky, and nearly cried out when this huge, bird like beast flew down, landing inches away from him. 

I froze, watching as Heero slowly stepped closer to the creature, holding his hand out gingerly. I squeezed my eyes shut. What was he doing!? That thing would probably eat him!

The sound of soft applause met my ears and I re-opened my eyes reluctantly. Heero was stroking the bird like creatures beak softly, and in return, it was rubbing it's head against his arm. My jaw dropped.

"That's an Aeon. Magnificent beings, that only Summoners can call" Quatre began lowly, "Summoners pray to different temples to get new Aeons"

"That.......was amazing" I replied, still gob smacked. Quatre laughed, and he and Trowa went forewords to congratulate him. The blue, furry guy was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he didn't like crowds......

I didn't get another chance to speak to Heero until later on, when the whole village were gathered round a huge campfire, which was on the stone platform where Heero had been stood earlier that day. Quatre immediately dragged me over to the Besaid Arouchs, to introduce me.

"This is Duo Maxwell" he announced, and immediately I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. Why was it whenever anyone said my name I got all embarrassed?

"He'll be joining our Blitzball team, for the Luca Championships" he continued, smiling, "So, what's our goal?"

"To do our best!" they replied, almost in unison.

What a weird goal! I always play Blitzball to win, it's all part of the game. I knew that I had to help this team out with a little Duo inspiration. 

"No, we have a new goal now" I interrupted. Quatre looked over at me, confused.

"Victory!" 

Various murmurs went through the team, before one of them started up the chant. Soon all of the them were yelling it at the top of their lungs, and Quatre threw me a grateful smile.

"Thanks Duo! We leave tomorrow, ok?" I nodded, "You're free to go now. Explore a little. If you get tired, there's a bed waiting for you in my hut"

I nodded, and walked away from the fire, away from the villagers. Most of them were giving me dirty looks, I had betrayed their beliefs after all. Nice one Maxwell.

I sighed, and gazed into the flickering flames. I felt so lonely. I was so different from everyone....well maybe me and Quatre had something in common, we both loved Blitzball after all.

"Duo?"

I must of jumped half a mile, as I turned to see Heero smiling shyly at me. He rubbed the back of his neck slowly, a faint tinge appearing over the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to startle you-"

"Ahh that's ok" I interrupted, smiling, "I was in another world just then"

That feeling had returned to my stomach. Not a painful feeling.....just a strange one. Made me feel kind of light headed at the same time.

"I just wanted to thank you. For...your help earlier on"

"Ahh that's ok. I mean....it was nothing. Anyone else would of done the same...."

Heero nodded, and followed my gaze into the fire. As the flickering flames sent shadows over his delicate features, I realised just how good looking he was. 

"We'll be leaving on the same ship tomorrow" he suddenly began softly, his gaze never leaving the fire, "I start on my pilgrimage"

"Will you be....watching the tournament?"

He nodded, smiling.

"Of course. I'll be there to cheer you and Quatre on"

Silence fell between us, and I could hear the soft crackling of flames. I was perfectly content to sit here and watch Heero all night, but one of us had to break the silence. And surprisingly, it was him. 

"What....will you do if you don't find someone you know in Luca?" 

Could he read minds or something? That's exactly what I had been worrying about all day. I shrugged, and laughed hollowly.

"I dunno......I can't remember anything......"

"Quatre said that the first thing you said was....that you were from the Zanarkand Abes"

"Yeah.....must of been to do with Sin's toxin......" I replied, hating myself for lying to him. I think he knew, because he sent me this really weird look.

"Duo..... don't be ashamed about it. It could be a link to where you actually came from"

I looked at the ground, unable to think of a response to that.

"Besides" he added, "If you believe that you came from Zanarkand....then I believe you"

"You.......do?"

"Anything's possible"

"I guess so...."

"Look at me"

What?! I looked up surprised, to come face to face with a smiling Heero.

"I belive you, ok?"

I nodded, feeling myself grin like an idiot.

"Thank you.....you have no idea how much this means to me...." 

As we stared into the dying embers of the fire, I think we both knew that we were friends.

"Duo, wake up!"

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed, snapping open my eyes. Quatre was grinning down at me, his floppy bangs hiding his eyes.

"C'mon, we have to get going. Don't want to miss the boat" he explained, walking back to give me room, "And I'm sure you don't want to miss Heero, right?"

What?! I coughed, and tried desperately to stop myself from turning a very deep shade of red.

"Hmm..."

I followed him outside, where Trowa and that blue furry thing were waiting for us. 

"Oh man, I nearly forgot!" Quatre exclaimed, hitting his head, "Here, this is for you"

He handed me this beautiful blue sword. It was transparent, and looked as if it were made of crystal.

"Whoa! This is for me? Thanks" I replied, feeling a lump in my throat. I'd only known Quatre less than a day....and he had given me a sword.

He smiled sweetly.

"Just think of it as a thank you, for helping the team out"

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Heero called suddenly, half running, half tripping down the temple steps. He somehow made it safely to the bottom, and ran over to us, his face flushed.

"Sleep well?" I asked ever so innocently. He smirked slightly, and straightened his robes.

"Very well thank you" he replied, pushing the bangs out of his eyes. They immediately fell back down and he sighed.

"We better get going. The boat leaves soon" Trowa suddenly said, and he, Quatre and fury guy started to walk away. I followed them, and only seconds later I realised that Heero wasn't following.

I turned and saw him bow down the village in prayer. He sighed slightly, before turning and smiling.

"Let's go then!"

We'd been following this path through the woods for about ten minutes, when suddenly Mr Fury jumped in front of me. And he looked angry.

I backed away as he smashed his fist against the ground. What had I done to upset him?!

"Hey! I'm not going to hurt you!" I explained quietly, dropping my sword, "See?"

He either didn't hear me, or didn't care. I covered my face with my hands, and expected to die.

"Wufei! That's enough!" Quatre exclaimed, "He's with us, ok?"

Wufei nodded curtly, and growled what could of been took for an apology. I nodded, and watched as he left.

"What's with that guy?"

"He's Chang Wufei. Form the Ronso tribe. He's learn the fiends way of fighting" Trowa explained. I shrugged.

"That's not exactly what I meant..."

Heero smiled apologetically and walked over to me.

"He's protected me since I was a kid. My father asked him to....."

We continued after that and I kept a wary eye on the blue Ronso. He had scared the wits out of me.

A few minutes later, we stopped again, by a small stone. Quatre knelt down, and began praying.

"It's custom to pray here before leaving the island" Trowa explained. I liked it how he explained things to me, he was nice for a quiet guy.

"My sister never prayed before she left" Quatre added quietly, "When she went to join the Crusaders. Last year, round this time. She was killed fighting"

"That's....why you couldn't concentrate on the Tournament....right?"

He nodded.

"Crusaders?" I added puzzled. Another tribe, like the Al Bhed, and Ronso?

"A group made up of mostly Al Bhed, they try to fight Sin by using weapons and machina" Quatre began bitterly, "If only they'd repent their sins! Then maybe, Sin would leave! Yevon teaches us that the only way to defeat Sin, is by repenting our sins! It's because of using Machina a 1000 years back that we're in this mess in the first place! Only Summoners can sort of stop Sin"

"How?"

"Summoners travel round Spira, praying to the Fayth, so they can Summon the Final Aeon and banish Sin. That's what Heero is doing" Trowa added, and I thought I heard a not of sadness in his voice.

"Banish? Why not just kill him?"

"It's impossible. All we can do in Banish him for a short while, which is what we call the Calm. When everything is safe......for a while"

"Then.."

"Don't ask what's the point" Heero interrupted softly, "Just for a while, everyone can sleep safe in their beds, living their lives without death, without fear"

I nodded, somewhat understanding this crazy system. Summoners went round Spira, praying to the Fayth, whoever they were, so they could Summon the Final Aeon, which would banish Sin for a while, a time which is known as The Clam. Sin is here because 1000 years back, people relied on Machines......or Machina too much. Yevon, a God type figure, teaches that the only way to destroy Sin is by repenting our sins. However, the crusaders, and Al Bhed don't follow this, and still use machina. That's why Quatre doesn't like them. 

We continued for a while, and finally reached the docks. We boarded the S.S Liki and left Besaid, amidst very tearful farewells to Heero. 

Quatre pulled me aside as soon as we left the docks.

"We're going to Kilika first, ok?"

"Kilika?"

He shook his head, and smiled apologetically.

"Guess you don't remember....anyway, it's so Heero can pray in the Temple there, and we can pray for victory at the same time"

Whatever floats his boat. I nodded.

"That's cool" I began, when I heard a commotion behind me. I turned, and saw that Heero was surrounded by a small crowd. 

"Following in his father's footsteps, huh?" one guy said, turning to his friend, "He'll never be as great as him though"

"Yeah, well living up to a High Summoner, big task"

"Not only that, one of the best Summoners in Spira!"

I grimaced slightly, and turned back to Quatre.

"You never said Heero's dad was famous"

Quatre shrugged.

"He doesn't like to make a big deal out of it"

"I hear him there. It's hard when your dad is famous"

"Huh?"

"Quatre's a bit lacking in the imagination department" Trowa added quietly, smiling slightly. I laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind Trowa"

The crowd had dispersed and I walked over to where Heero was leaning on the rail, looking back at the now disappearing island.

"Nice view?"

"Yeah" he replied softly, "The colour of the sea.....it's so beautiful...."

I looked over at him. He was staring dreamily into the waters, smiling.

"Ya know, your eyes are the same colour as the sea" I sad without thinking, and I mentally kicked myself. Could I be any more obvious?

He laughed, and turned to me, staring right at me.

"Thank you. Your eyes.....hmm" he broke off, cocking his head slightly, "They're the colour of the sky at twilight"

"No one's ever said that before. They just go "Oooh, purple""

He laughed again, and I joined in. He had such a musical laugh...

I finally started to relax. The last time I'd been on a boat, Sin had attacked it. I guess I was kind of nervous.

Suddenly, something smashed up against the ship. Dread gathered in the pit of my stomach.

"Sin! Sin!" 

I turned just in time to see a huge wave zoom by us. I instinctively reached out and grabbed the railing as the ship tilted sideways.

"Whoa!" Heero cried out, and started sliding down the deck. I reached out and grabbed his hand. His hand was so warm against mine.

"Just hold on!" I called, feeling his hand start to slip. I gritted my teeth. and tried to pull him back up the deck.

I couldn't. I was too weak. I could only watch helplessly as he fell from my grasp, and started sliding towards the churning ocean.

"Heero!"

"Duo!" he yelled back, and closed his eyes tightly. I mentally kicked myself. Heero was going to die!

Suddenly, a blue arm reach out and steadied Heero against the railing. I sighed in relief, which didn't last long as the ship lurched again, and I was thrown over the side.

I heard someone scream my name before the water swallowed me up.

Ooh! Cliff hanger, lol!

Sorry for the wait _. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, I hope I explained things clearly, lol!

Thanks for all the reviews, and keep reading please!

Merry Christmas! (It's Christmas Eve ^_^) 

~*~Tawny Eyed Angel~*~


	6. Chapter 6

__

Emily Hato: Thank you ^_^ Kimhari-Wufei, I agree is kinda weird, lol. But, if ya look at it, their personalities are quite similar. In a way. *sweatdrops*. LOL, Auron and Rikku, they would go great together, apart from the age difference. (of about 20 years)

Also, thank you for the email ^_^ You put me back in motion! ^_^

Violet Eyes: Yup, Heero is definitely OOC. But gradually, as he grows stronger, he should be more like the Heero we love and adore! They are repenting their sins, because the reason that Sin is there is because in the past, they made machines do all the work, and they just relaxed. Yevon tells them that if they repent their sins, Sin will vanish. LOL, I hope that made sense! Thanks for reviewing!

sparda219: Thank you! Now I have the demon's approval, I'll work on changing the ending, for the better of course ^_^

Rei: LOL, I had no plans for the cliff hanger, it just happened *sweatdrops* Wufei blue and fury, I like ^_^ Heero is quite OOC, I wanted to make him more innocent really. Maybe this is a 2+1 rather than a 1+2..hmm.... Thanks for reviewing!

lora-helen: Thank you! ^_^ And your fics are not half baked! They are amazing!

Dhiana: I hate them too. LOL, but I'll try and update more often ^_^. Thanks for reviewing!

Rikkui lai'Kyasha: Thanks for taking the time to review. I agree, this certainly isn't original, I have problems with writing my own storylines, and am using this as a sort practise for my writing. I'm not too keen on aspects of my writing either, which I hope to improve throughout helpful reviews from the lovely people at fanfiction.net. Wufei, a blue walking carpet....lol. Anyway, Wufei is a warrior, like Kimhari he has the spirit anyhow, and I plan to put that in later on. You think I should be more original....could you please give me a few suggestions? This is my first attempt at a fic as big as this one, and any suggestions would be more appreciated.

Tainted Halo: My fingers are itching to type it riiiiiiiight now ^_^. Thanks for reviewing.

Thank you all for the reviews! They are all very appreciated and give me the strength to go on ^_^ Many, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed.

"Duo..."

Heero? I opened my eyes, and squinted up at the blurred face above me. Beautiful cobalt eyes shone down at me and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

"Duo? Are you ok?"

I nodded, and tried to sit up. Pain shot across my back and I fell backwards, crying out in pain. I gasped, trying to get my breath back, my chest aching with every breath I tried to take.

"Don't move Duo" Heero instructed me softly, and he placed his hands on my chest.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision when this bright light surrounded me.

I watched amazed as the coloured sparkles settled onto my skin briefly before sinking in. A warmth rushed through me and suddenly......the pain was gone. I could breathe again.

Two hands gripped my shoulders gently and pulled me up from the floor, against a warm, fragile body. I sighed, and leant into the warmth, exhausted.

"It's ok Duo....you'll be ok......give it a while"

Gradually, I felt the muscles in my legs tighten, followed by the ones in my arms. I waited a while longer, feeling the strength shoot through my whole body, before gently pushing away from Heero and shakily getting to my feet.

"What.......what happened?" I managed to ask, glancing down at the still kneeling Summoner. He smiled sweetly and stood up, tucking his staff into his belt.

"You fell overboard" he began quietly, briefly looking at Quatre, "Quatre jumped in after you. There were........fiends down there"

"Loads of fiends" Quatre added, "We almost didn't make it out of there. You had taken quite a few hits before I managed to reach you. Sorry for not reaching you sooner"

"Hey, you saved me, didn't you?" I told him, "That's enough for me. Thank you"

He grinned, and ran a hand through his hair.

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

Friends. Quatre was my friend.

I nodded, and smiled at him. Finally, things were starting to get a little brighter.

We reached Kilika about Sunset. It was a disaster area.

The clear waters were clogged with planks of wood, and household items. The collection of wooden walkways that supported this village above the water had been ruined, and were full of gaps. A few lone huts stood, with gaping holes in their roofs and walls. Sin had been.

The entire boat was silent as we pulled into what was left of the dock. A few villagers came up to great us, with tearstained faces.

"My Lord Summoner!" one woman cried as Heero stepped slowly down the ramp, "Please......we would be honoured for you to do the Sending....."

Heero hesitated momentarily, before nodding.

"Of course"

He followed the villagers, and we in turn followed him. 

"I'm guessing that you have never seen a sending" a quiet voice asked. I turned to see Trowa walking next to me, his arms wrapped loosely around his body.

"You're right there. What is it anyway?"

Suddenly, the group ahead of us stopped, and Trowa and I took our place at the railing, watching as Heero went down to the waters edge.

"It's where a Summoner sends dead peoples souls to the Farplane. If this doesn't happen, then they will become fiends. They will attack their own family even, jealous of the living"

I watched as Heero slipped off his shoes, and gingerly placed one foot in the water. At this moment, the ocean was a beautiful mixture of orange, pink and even purple as the sun set.

Heero took another step. This time, his foot actually stayed on the water. 

I blinked, squinting to see clearer. No, he was actually walking on the water. His feet made soft splashing sounds as he walked, and to give him credit, he didn't even look down once. 

Finally, he stopped after a while and stood, watching us all warily. He looked quite nervous, and was clutching his staff in both hands. 

The suddenly, he began to dance. He rose his staff high above his head, before gracefully swooping it down by his feet. His eyes were closed as he moved lightly across the water, not even opening as a wave of water rose beneath him and carried him up in the air, ocean spray dampening his robes. 

Several coloured lights began to rise from the water, spiralling up into the atmosphere above Heero. A woman next to me broke down into tears, falling to her knees. A man took her gently by the shoulders and tried to comfort her, blinking back tears himself.

I turned my gaze back to Heero, who was back on the surface of the water. His face was pale, and his eyes were downcast as he came back to shore.

As the others ran forwards to congratulate him, his gaze lifted to reach mine and he smiled tiredly. I returned the smile, and hung back, watching as Quatre embraced his friend.

I talked to Heero later, after Quatre, Trowa and Wufei had gone to bed. He was sat on the edge of the dock, his bare feet dangling above the midnight blue sea.

I joined him silently, my feet barely skimming the surface. It was still warm, even at this time of night.

I glanced over at him. He was staring ahead of him, lost completely in thought. He looked worried.

"What's wrong?"

He smiled slightly, and looked over at me.

"Just........seeing the destruction that Sin can cause. I have to stop it. Everyone's depending on me"

He sighed and leant back on his hands, and looked up at the stars.

"Everyone's expecting me to follow in my father's footsteps. He was a High Summoner......"

"A High Summoner?"

"When a Summoner defeats Sin...they become a High Summoner. My father was the last person to defeat Sin"

Wow. What a thing to live up to. I sighed, and rested my elbows on my knees.

"It's hard when your father's famous"

He looked up.

"Your father was famous? What for?"

"He was a Star Blitzball Player. He had so many fans.....the famous G Maxwell....."

Heero sat up fully, his blue eyes wide open.

"G Maxwell........"

"You've heard of him?"

"Yeah......he accompanied my father on his Pilgrimage as a Guardian"

What the? There couldn't be that many G Maxwell's in the world......

"But.......my father died.....at sea.....ten years ago"

"That's when G came to Spira!" Heero suddenly exclaimed, a small smile playing on his lips, "Duo, maybe he came here like you did!"

I shrugged.

"Maybe....."

"Duo, this means that your father could still be alive!"

"Yeah...."

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. I grinned, and leant backwards onto the dock.

"Ahh......me and my father never really got on. That's all"

I felt him lie down next to me, his hands behind his head.

"Ahh...."

I glanced over at him. His eyes were closed, and I could see something glistening beneath his left eye. A tear?

"Heero, what's wrong?"

".......nothing"

"Yeah right nothing. C'mon, what's wrong?"

"I hate doing Sendings. I've only done one before......for Quatre's father" he began softly, opening his eyes, "It was so hard.....I was only an Apprentice Summoner......and he looked so sad...he was depending on me to do this"

He shook his head and smiled.

"But that's in the past. I want to ask you something"

"Sure"

He sat up, and I followed suit, resting back on my arms.

"I know we've only known each other a day....but I feel like I know you. And I know I can trust you" he started slowly, his voice husky, "Anyway, what I want to ask is.....will you become one of my Guardians?"

"What?!"

He smiled slightly.

"I know, it's unusual. But.....there's something about you. I can't figure out what it is......but I'm asking you to come with me on my Pilgrimage. Please"

I nodded.

"Ok"

He sighed in relief and laughed nervously.

"Great! Thank you so much Duo"

We both led back down, and we just led there in silence for the remainder of the night. And I guess we both finally drifted off to sleep.

I slept in bursts, too afraid of falling off in order to sleep properly.

The next morning, we woke up stiff and aching from having slept on hard wood all night. It was still early morning when we moved back to the Inn, where the others were.

We didn't speak as we walked side by side, occasionally one of us stretching to ease the pain in our muscles. We didn't need to speak. We had nothing to say.

"Heero! Where have you been?"

Heero smiled sheepishly as a frantic Quatre ran up to us, his hair tousled from sleep. He glared at the both of us.

"I've been so worried!"

"My apologies Quatre" Heero began, "But we.....were just talking.....and....fell asleep"

Quatre raised an eyebrow at this.

"It's true. He was explaining stuff about Summoners and Spira"

Finally, the blond smiled, and he visibly relaxed.

"I know. That's ok. I was worried, that's all. This place is crawling with fiends, and with Sin nearby......"

"I had Duo with me" Heero replied quickly, grabbing my arm, "He's......one of my guardians now"

Quatre had a look of complete and utter shock on his face.

"But.....you've known him.....less than a day" he stammered, "I don't mean any offence Duo, but...."

"I just......see something about him. Ever since I first saw him......I knew I could trust him" Heero added softly, "He'll make a great guardian"

"And I'm not denying that" Quatre pleaded, "I......well......welcome aboard Duo"

Ok, that really sucked. And a huge, big, big big SORRY for not having updated sooner. I really hate Coursework, and I have GCSES coming up soon, and I really need to pass them. It's a matter of life and death, lol.

A huge thanks to Emily Hato who persuaded me to get off my bony ass and finish this chapter. I'll try and get the next one up as soon as I can.

As usual, many thanks to all who have reviewed, and sorry if I've missed you out at the top. _

Please R& R if you have time. If not, no worries ^_^


	7. Chapter 7 screams

Konichuwa! It's time to write! Finally! Well, the rest of the chapters are planned out, and I'm writing the next one as we speak :D Remember though, I am in the middle of my GCSE's, so........bleh ^_^

Sorry for the incredibly, evil long wait. After June 18th I have like over 2 months off so maybe I can finish this before the year is out!

A BIG shout out to Emily Hato, who's dedication to writing her fanfics is amazing and totally inspiring :D

Later on that afternoon, we went through Kilika Woods, to the temple. It was bigger than the one at Besaid, and had a more light and airy feel to it. But, for some reason, Heero and Quatre didn't seem to be very comfortable there. 

Quatre was constantly looking over at a group of Blitzers, and Heero just kept his eyes to the ground.

Whilst Heero and Trowa spoke to the head of the temple, I sidled over to Quatre.

"Why do you keep looking at those Blitzers? Do you know them?"

Quatre nodded, a dark expression crossing his face.

"Our rivals. Normally, I get along with most other Blitzball teams but this guy......I can't stand"

I followed his gaze to see a tall guy with shocking red hair. He had a look of smug ignorance on his face and was telling something to his team mates, who were laughing in a some what sinister way. Then his gaze caught Quatre's and mine, and he sauntered over, two other Blitzers behind him.

"Quatre. What are you doing in these parts?" he asked silkily, "Shouldn't you and your, ahem, team, be rotting in Besaid?"

"No" Quatre replied lowly, "They're helping out the villagers as we speak, something that I would of expected the Luca Goers to do"

"Good, saintly Quatre" he continued, for the first time looking over at me, "Who's this scrawny kid? Don't tell me he's your summoner!"

I suddenly felt quite offended. Why would me being a summoner be a bad thing? Just what was he implying?!

"Actually, he's one of Heero's guardians, and the newest member of the Besaid Arouchs. And my friend"

I smiled at the last words. Quatre was such a sweet person.

The guy sniffed slightly, and turned on his heel. As he went back to his team, I glanced round the room for Heero, Trowa or Wufei. They had gone.

"Where is everyone?"

Quatre glanced up and cursed under his breath.

"They've gone in. C'mon, let's go on through"

As I followed him through, I felt the presence of someone looking at me. I turned and briefly caught sight of short, dark haired woman disappearing between the pillars. I shrugged, and joined Quatre on the stone lift.

"That guy was a total jerk" I muttered, folding my arms, "Not only does he insult you, and the Besaid Arouchs, he insulted ME"

Quatre shrugged, a half smile on his lips.

"He's one of the main reasons I want us to win so bad. I want to show him that Blitzers are the same world over, no matter where they come from," he began, tilting his head slightly as the lift began to descend, "He thinks that because he plays for Luca, he's invincible"

Quatre fell silent, and became very interested in his feet. I, on the other hand, looked up at the disappearing speck of light. I could of sworn I saw someone looking down at us, but when I took a second look, they were gone.

We reached the others just in time, before Heero walked slowly in through the circular doorway. Trowa glared at us with his visible eye.

"Took your time"

"Sorry Tro" Quatre began sheepishly, "It was just those Luca Blitzers........"

To my complete and utter surprised, Trowa nodded, and smiled faintly. I was expecting him to yell at us, well......maybe not yell, at least send us scathing looks. He turned away, and walked over to Wufei. 

I looked at Quatre, who had the weirdest look on his face. He looked happy and surprised at the same time.

"Tro's always understood about me and Blitzball" he explained, "I guess it's his soft spot with me. He hasn't missed any of my matches"

I looked over at Trowa. I found it hard to believe that he had any soft spots, but then again, I hadn't really known him for long. Maybe he was like Zechs, Mr-I-Pretend-Not-To-Care. Zechs cared when I got injured Blitzing once, he tried not to show it, but he did. Zechs.......

I guess I kinda did miss him. I hoped he was ok, maybe he ended up in Spira like I did. He was the closest thing I had to a father. Way better than G ever was....

I leant back against the wall, watching the circular doorway expectantly. I hoped Heero was alright, I'd grown attached to him in the past day or two. 

Heero came out about ten minutes later, exhausted but on the whole ok. He wrapped his arms around himself, half smiling as Trowa and Quatre congratulated him. To me, he looked kinda distant, but I guess summoning great entities of power does that to you.

As we began to walk out, I dropped behind and walked along side Heero. He smiled tiredly, and I noticed the glisten of sweat on his skin. He really was worn out.

We left on the S.S Winno, and finally headed for Luca. I was half expecting Sin to attack us again, it always seemed to happen with me and boats. But, this time....we managed to travel there pretty much unscathed. 

During the journey, I heard Quatre and Trowa talking about me. Not really meaning to eavesdrop, I half climbed the stairs to where they were sat, and sort of listened in.

"This is your fault you know" I heard Trowa say, coolly. Q sighed.

"I couldn't exactly leave him in Besaid, could I?"

"But now Heero wants him as a Guardian"

"So? The kid's pretty good, you saw how he protected Heero back on the S.S Liki. Heero would be dead if Duo wasn't there"

"He's protective yes, but can he fight?"

"We'll find out soon enough, the Mi'hen Highway is crawling with fiends"

Quatre had told me that Besaid and Kilika didn't have as many fiends as the Crusaders kept them away. I assumed there were too many fiends on this Highway place to control or something.

"Fine. But he's your responsibility"

Silence fell. I was going to go, but Quatre started talking again.

"Why does Heero want him as a Guardian anyway? I mean.....he's only just met him"

"Because he's G's son"

"Really?! That scrawny kid?"

I grimaced. I didn't whether I should be pleased that he didn't think I could be related to G or annoyed at the way he kept calling me kid.

If they were going to have a little chat about the 'amazing' G, I was going. My dad was nothing but a selfish loser, who thought he was the best at everything. He loved putting people down, especially me.

Gritting my teeth, I turned and went back down the stairs. Man, I really hated him at times. I could see Heero surrounded by yet another crowd, and I made my way over to him.

"Hey, what do YOU want?" sneered the red haired Blitzer from earlier, "WE'RE talking to this Lord Summoner"

"I'm his Guardian" I replied, pushing past him. He grabbed my arm.

"Who do you think you are, kid?!"

"Wait" one of his lackeys from earlier interrupted, "He was with Quatre earlier. Aren't you with the Arouchs?"

It was something about he way he said Aurochs that got my back up. I narrowed my eyes, and stepped closer to him. So what if he was a head taller than me? He didn't scare me.

"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?"

The red haired guy laughed, and stepped closer to me. Ok, now THIS guy was about two, maybe three heads taller than me. And he looked pretty strong.

"The Arouchs? You could at least of picked a decent team" he sneered, "What team do you come from anyway? I don't recognise the strip"

"He was the Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes" Heero interrupted coolly, "So watch who you're talking to"

The red haired guy and his lackey's nearly cried with laughter. Heero frowned, and turned his back on him, walking to the prow of the ship. I went to follow him, then stopped, and smirked at the red haired guy.

"I'll see you in tomorrow" I began, "And I'm going to kick the ball EXTRA hard at your head. Maybe it'll kick start your brain"

I turned away from him and walked over to Heero. He was staring out to sea.

"Are you ok? You went....crazy there"

Heero shrugged.

"Some people are so moronic" he said lowly, "You have to beat them tomorrow"

I grinned.

"No problem. I was planning on doing that anyway"

Heero laughed slightly.

"I hate it when people act like that" I continued, "Putting people down. They're as bad as my old man"

"But....G was a nice person" Heero exclaimed, shocked, "How can you say that?!"

"Not the G I knew. Maybe.....he's only like that to his son"

I shook my head, and walked away. Why did G haunt me everywhere I went? Even in the future. I heard Heero sigh behind me, and I turned to face him.

"So.....what's Luca like?"

A smile spread across his face, and he began telling me about the city.

****

TBC.......

Wow! I actually finished the chapter!! 0_0 Mebbe I lied in my other fic.....well, I posted that before writing this :p

A HUGE thanks to all of my reviewers (I love you guys :D) And I hope you enjoy :D

Ja ne!!

~*~ Tawny Eyed Angel ~*~


End file.
